Is your Private Data Ever Really Private?

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From
websites such as Yahoo! to retail companies such as Sony, the data of millions
of customers has been stolen or hacked into despite security measures by these
companies. Everything from social security numbers to birthdates have been
taken and put up for sale to the highest bidder on places such as the dark web.
Once your information is out there, it is available 5, 10 and 100 years from
now. You cannot change your birthdate, and there is even more data that hackers
keep on file that you likely are not aware of.

Whether
stored in a company’s database or on your own personal computer or mobile
device, your personal data is what keeps the gears of online purchases humming
along smoothly. Protecting that information is essential, mainly because it
reveals so much about your personal and financial life. Invasion of privacy is
something to be taken very seriously in cyberspace, so asking whether your
private data is really private is not a fair question – it is a question that
must be answered by everyone you trust with your personal information.

But
criminals aren’t the only ones who have a financial interest in your personal
information. Popular web sites such as YouTube and Facebook skim your personal
information for specific online habits such as where you are most likely to
shop, what sites you visit the most, and even the habits of your friends, all
with the idea of selling that information to companies who will then target
their ads to sell you something. The idea that there is such a thing as a free
program, application, or game is unrealistic. These apps will track your usage,
among other things, and if you refuse to allow them to do it you will not have
access to the app. It’s as simple as that.

Many people
miss the agreement that allows the app to collect the data because it is
written in the fine print of the Terms and Conditions. Ask yourself when was
the last time you read an entire End User License Agreement – and understood
all of it. Much of the consent to access your personal information is buried in
the fine print, and after that your information is in the hands of the company
you have agreed to allow to collect it. Depending on whom the company is, that
can entail significant risk and a loss of privacy.

The bottom
line to the cyberworld privacy issue is the same as the one in your everyday
life: who do you trust? It takes time to develop trust in your person and
business life, and the problem with cyberspace is that there is a 1 in
1,000,000 chance you will ever meet any of the people who work at the companies
you entrust your private data to. So the answer to the question is no, your
private data will never be private. But looking back on almost 2 decades of
Internet progress, it seems that is the way it is supposed to be.